TELUK INTAN, May 29 — Datuk Mah Siew Keong described the Teluk Intan by-election as the dirtiest he has ever contested, leading him to say his chances of winning stand at 49 per cent.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate said that unlike his rivals in the DAP, he has never stooped to insult his opponent Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud or deface posters.
“I have never experienced this kind of election before. All of my experience in Teluk Intan has been good,” Mah told reporters.
He said his previous contests with DAP candidates a M. Manogaran had been peaceful.
“This is actually to me (sic) is a very dirty election in Teluk Intan, with a lot of slandering and false things. I’m actually quite disappointed because the very first day I met Dyana, I told her let’s make this a clean fight,” Mah added.
Mah also claimed he had to stop his younger supporters from retaliating against alleged provocation from PR.
“We have to do so much work to stop our people from reacting against provocation hoping that some BN boys will get excited and then do something stupid,” Mah said.
“We have a lot of young supporters. They cannot stand it, you know. We’re seen as being weak, because we did not react. I had to stop them.”
According to Mah, opponents have splashed red paint and scrawled the word “Bodoh” (stupid) on his posters.
They also have produced a video claiming BN supporters had set a PR operation centre on fire using clips of a burnt down furniture factory, Mah alleged.
A photograph of Mah was also circulated online, showing him standing very close behind a woman, as if he were touching her intimately.
As Gerakan president, Mah said he is under great pressure in the by-election, adding that he expects to get a better result than during the general election last year when he lost to DAP’s Seah.
He said that he is concerned with the party’s future should he lose, but added he was ready to bear the responsibility if that happens.
Mah, 53, will take on Dyana, 26, in a straight fight on May 31.
